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Rap is representing the T-dot hard this year! Four out of five nominees are from Toronto, with one holding down Halifax (holler!). The quality of these videos as well as the song production make them all worthy candidates to take home the MMVA trophy for MuchVibe Best Rap Video, but who is your favourite?

Belly - Ridin’ f. Mario Winans

He comes into this contest as the heavyweight (no pun intended, mostly), the reigning category champion AND he’s got one-time Diddy sidekick Mario Winans in his corner. The icing on the cake is the latest MMVA director darling RT!, whose vivid colours and sexy composition bring a sleek flair not often seen in Canadian hip-hop vids. Belly and Mario take their ladyfriends out for lazy Sunday rides - and wait, is that Belly escaping from jail? Nice gangsta touch. Count this as one of the few times a rap video puts its flashy cars on a country road instead of city streets - except, remember Choclair?

Classified - Hard to Be Hip-Hop f. Maestro & DJ IV

And the winner for longest name due to featured artists on a track is.. Classified! Just kidding, Class - we heart you. You’re down to earth, wholesomely handsome, you produce your own beats and you’re from my home province. Respect. And count this video as a favourite, because the beat blazes like the BBQ in the clip, the giant fonts are a fun touch, the colours look crazy, the video is beautiful and, omg, it’s MAESTRO. Is it any wonder though - director harv has already done videos for Jully Black, Live, Jelleestone and blink-182, so he knows a thing or two about a thing or two. In fact, this might be my favourite to win. There, I said it. I’m biased.

JB - Fire In Ya Eyes f. The Game

The Game? Excuse me? You got THE GAME to cameo on your track? WIN. I’m sorry, that is major. And for a man whose rap career isn’t as ubiquitous as, say, Belly’s, you’ve got to hand it to JB. But really, it’s the Canadian rapper who shines on this track, with a Cazhhmere-directed video telling a tale of street love. Gritty and raw, the clip doesn’t even show JB rapping until it segues into a snippet of his song “We Run T.O.” - and kudos to a rap video that doesn’t cater to the cars and labels status quo.

JDiggz - Just Wanna Party f. Voyce

He showed up to last year’s red carpet with ‘MMVA07′ shaved in the back of his head, and from there, JDiggz took the opportunity to make 2007 his year. His smooth delivery paired with Voyce’s silky voice make this an any-season jam worth listening to. Props to director RT! (another one!) for taking the “party” away from the club and doing something a little more unexpected - lawn party, haaaayy!

Tru-Paz - Hotel Hell

So is Hotel Hell like, worse than Hotel California? Can you check in anytime you want, but you can never leave? Sorry, I had to - and I have to admit that this song is haunting like the Eagles’ classic. If you listen to the lyrics actually, the chorus says “you must first serve your term, you can’t leave when you please.” INTENTIONAL SIMILARITY? Anyway, this video has a gorgeous cinematic look featuring the Tru-Paz trio stuck in their own Hotel Hell. Or ARE they? The dramatic lead-up ends with a little bit of a surprise ending, so props to director Marc Andre Debruyne for an all-around job well done. Fun fact: There is an actual Hotel Hell in Wisconsin.

Next Recap: MuchLoud Best Rock Video

Previous: VideoFACT Best Independent
Best International Video - Artist
Best International Video - Group

Posted on Monday, June 2nd, 2008 at 4:51 pm by Wendy and is filed under MMVA2008.

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